AUG 24, 1793. Epilogue. Excerpts from the journals of Alexander MacKenzie, during his epic Voyage Of Discovery to The Pacific Ocean.
When we left Alexander MacKenzie and his men a month ago on July 22, they had reached his goal of crossing Canada by land to the Pacific Ocean, and confirmed by his taking of readings at what is now forever known as MacKenzie’s Rock. With that accomplishment behind them, they would now have to retrace their perilous journey all the way back to Fort Fork, where he had left men and supplies on May 9, and then on to Fort Chip, before winter sets in. Here are some excerpts from his journal during that month-long return trip.
JULY.“Wednesday, 24.---We now found ourselves once more without a guide or a canoe. We were, however, so fortunate as to engage, without much difficulty...people to accompany us...One of our men, being at a small distance before the others, had been attacked by a female bear with two cubs, but another of them arrived to his rescue, and shot her.”
“Thursday, 25.---We were now informed, that our dog, whom we had lost, had been howling about the village ever since we left it, and that they had reason to believe he left the woods at night to eat the fish he could find about the houses...As we were continuing our route, we all felt the sensation of having found a lost friend at the sight of our dog; but he appeared, in a great degree, to have lost his former sagacity. He ran in a wild way backwards and forwards; and though he kept the road, I could not induce him to acknowledge his master...The poor animal was reduced almost to a skeleton, and we occasionally dropped something to support him, and by degrees he recovered his former sagacity.”
The dog didn’t get to see the Pacific; he had been temporarily lost in the village and left behind when they had embarked for the sea in the native canoes.
“Sunday, 28.---At nine in the morning we arrived at the spot...and found our pemmican in good condition where we had buried it. The latitude of this place...I found to be 52.46.32...we recovered all our hidden stores of provisions, and arrived about two in the afternoon of Sunday, August the 4th, at the place which we had left a month before.”
“Monday 5.---On examining the canoe, and our property, which we had left behind, we found it in perfect safety, nor was there the print of a foot near the spot. We now pitched our tent, and made a blazing fire, and I treated myself, as well as the people, with a dram…”
“Tuesday, 6.---The salmon were now driving up the current in such large shoals, that the water seemed, as it were, to be covered with the fins of them”
“Sunday, 11.---The rapids that were so strong and violent in our passage downwards, were now so reduced, that we could hardly believe them to be the same. At sunset we landed and encamped.”
“Wednesday, 14.---At three in the afternoon the cold was extreme, and the men could not keep themselves warm even by their violent exertions...I now gave them the remainder of our rum to fortify and support them...We encamped on the banks of the bad River.”
“Thursday, 15.---About sunset, we arrived at our encampment of the 13th of June, where some of us had nearly taken our eternal voyage...the water being low, we made a search for our bag of ball, but without success. The river was full of salmon…”
“Friday, 16.---we now reached the high land which separates the source of the Tacoutche Tesse (sic), or Columbia River, and Unjigah, or Peace River...If I could have spared the time...it was my intention to have taken some salmon alive, and colonised them in the Peace River, though it is very doubtful whether that fish would live…”
He doesn’t know that there is a short cut (later known as the Giscome Portage), so he has had to go back the way he came, up the James (Bad) River to this continental divide. The preferred route, that would have saved him so much grief, was the one followed by Simon Fraser and later explorers and travellers. It follows roughly close the modern highway that goes from Prince George, to Mackenzie, B.C., the modern town on the shores of Williston Lake that was named after him.
“Saturday, 17.---The morning was cloudy, and at five we renewed our progress...at half past seven we began to glide along with the current of the Peace River (note* he refers to the Parsnip River as the upper branch of the Peace River)...at two in the afternoon, an object attracted our notice...the four beaver skins, already mentioned to have been presented to me by a native...he had taken this method to restore them to me...to reward his honesty, I left three times the value of the skins in their place. At four..,.we passed the place where we found the first natives...in the course of the day we caught nine outards, or Canada geese…”
“Sunday, 18.---As soon as it was light we proceeded...at eleven we landed at our encampment of the seventh of June...at half-past five we arrived at the place, where I lost my book of memorandums, on the fourth of June...We were seven days in going up that part of the river which we came down to-day…”
Obviously canoeing downstream is a lot faster than poling and lining up it.
“Monday, 19.---We had some small rain throughout the night...The mountains were covered with fresh snow...Here the other branch opened to us…”
They have reached the termination of the Parsnip River, at Finlay Forks, and the “other branch” that joins is what we know today as the Finlay River. All that remains of the journey now is a nice easy glide down the Peace River.
“Here we landed at our encampment of the 27th of June, from whence I had dispatched a letter in an empty keg…”
“Tuesday, 20.__We soon after came to the carrying place called the Portage de la Montagne de Roche...the latitude 56.3.51.”
The Rocky Mountain Portage, near modern day W.C. Bennett dam.
“I had observed, indeed, that the water...had fallen fifteen feet perpendicular…(and) had lost much of its former turbulence…We were now reduced to a very short allowance...as we did not possess at this time more than was sufficient to serve us for two meals.”
It’s so amazing that they were able to make this unbelievable trip through uncharted territory for nearly one hundred days without completely running out of supplies and food. As we have seen, with 10 hungry working men to feed everyday, any fresh meat or “flesh” as he refers to it, was absolutely essential to keep their spirits up, and to the ultimate success of the mission.
“Mr. MacKay and our hunters returned with heavy burdens of the flesh of a buffalo...A hearty meal concluded the day, and every fear of future want was removed.”
“Thursday, 22. ...a kettle full of the elk flesh was boiled and eaten, and that vessel replenished...all that remained, with the bones etc. was placed, after the Indian fashion, round the fire to roast, and at ten the next morning the whole was consumed by ten persons and a large dog, who was allowed his share of the banquet.”
“Friday, 23. --We were on the water before daylight; and when the sun rose, a beautiful country appeared around us, enriched and animated by large herds of wild cattle. The weather was now so warm...it was overwhelming and oppressive.”
The beautiful, and mighty, Peace River Country.
“At length, as we rounded a point, and came in view of the Fort, (Fort Fork) we threw out a flag, and accompanied it with a general discharge of our fire-arms”
“Thus we landed at four in the afternoon, at the place which we left on the ninth of May. -----Here my voyages of discovery terminate.”
